Five years had passed since I’d become a working adult. I was now twenty-eight years old and doing well at my job—there was even talk about promotion. Perhaps things were going surprisingly well because I had made it a rule to never turn down an invitation to go drinking. I didn’t think I made a particularly interesting conversation partner, but my boss had taken a liking to me for whatever reason.
I couldn’t erase the regrets I carried about my youth, but I was still living fulfilling days nevertheless. Work was tough, but rewarding. I had found employment at a large construction company as an overseer for water and sewer construction. Overtime was a frequent occurrence, but I had nothing to do at home anyway, so I was suited for this position. Perplexingly, those who had entered the company at the same time as me had been disappearing one by one.
“Haibara, where are you off to?”
“The construction plan is done for the project we discussed earlier, so I’m taking it to the government office.”
“Then could you swing by Kudo’s site on your way? Apparently, he’s on the verge of tears because the people on-site are giving him a tough time. He’s still only in his second year, so we’ve gotta babysit him.”
“All right.” You look like you’ve got time on your hands. Why don’t you go? However, I was merely a mid-ranked employee in his sixth year, so I couldn’t talk back to my boss. I want to help out my junior anyway. At any rate, looks like I’ll be working overtime again.
When I entered the ward office’s water and sewer division, Maruyama-san, the person responsible for construction, noticed me. “Hey, Haibara-kun. Good work as always,” he said.
“Hello. As always, thank you for your assistance. I’m here to submit the construction plan—”
“Oh, hold that thought. We’ve got a new face in our division. Let me introduce you.”
“Now that you mention it, this is the season for transfers,” I remarked.
The officials posted to each division usually changed every April. It was a huge pain to have to rebuild rapport from the ground up every year, but that’s policy for you. This work technically should’ve been handled by the business side, but the boundary between business and construction was hazy at my company.
“Motomiya! C’mere real quick!”
“Oh, yes sir!”
A familiar-looking woman hurried over to us. Her hair that she used to keep tied back in a ponytail was now worn down with a loose perm. Her face also seemed more mature than before.
“I’m Motomiya. I transferred to the water and sewer management division in April. I look forward to working with you.” Without realizing who I was, Miori held out her business card.
“I’m Haibara of Tsukida Construction,” I said after a short pause.
After we exchanged business cards, Miori froze, her gaze fixed on my card. Then she raised her head and locked eyes with me.
“Huh? Natsuki?”
“Hey, long time no see.”
Miori blinked at me.
She’s way too pretty. Must be her makeup.
“Hmm? Do you two know each other?” Maruyama-san asked quizzically. We quickly explained that we were childhood friends. “Well I’ll be. The world sure is a small place. Perfect! Motomiya, this must be fate at work. You’re in charge of this new pump construction project. I’m too busy anyway!”
“What?!” Miori cried.
Maruyama-san guffawed loudly as he returned to his desk.
That guy is so sloppy with his job! He’s not a bad person, though. Also, if he’s going to palm off the task to someone else, then shouldn’t he at least give her the rundown? Huh? Is he leaving the handover process to me too? That’s ridiculous (happens a lot).
Miori silently glowered at me.
“Glare all you like. What do you want me to do?”
“It’s your fault that I have more work now.” She sighed. “I never thought I’d run into you like this.”
“So, you became a civil servant, huh?”
“And you work for a construction company? You joined an exhausting field.”
“It pays well, you know?”
“Figures.”
How many years has it been since we last talked? At least ten, I think. And yet, surprisingly, we can still banter like we used to. “I’m sure we have a lot to catch up on, but I need to go help my junior out.”
“Huh. You seem busy,” she remarked.
“Yeah, I’ve been in a bind because overtime regulation has gotten stricter lately.”
A beat passed. “Are you working overtime tonight?”
“Dunno yet. It depends on how much trouble my junior is in.”
“If it looks like you can leave, then hang out with me for a bit.”
I never expected her to invite me for drinks. I thought she didn’t want to have anything to do with me anymore. “Okay.”
But I don’t feel like saying no. After all, I’m glad I get to reconnect with Miori.
✦ ✦ ✦
I finished my junior’s work at an ultrafast speed and went to the izakaya Miori had specified. It was an unpretentious, casual joint, echoing with boisterous voices.
“Natsuki, over here.” Miori was already seated. “What’ll you have?”
“I’ll start with a beer,” I replied.
“I’ll have the same, then.”
Our ice-cold beers arrived shortly, and we lifted our cups for a toast.
“Good work today,” I said.
“You too. Cheers.” Miori gulped down her beer. I thought it would just be a long swig, but she drained the entire glass in one go.
“You drink like a college student,” I remarked.
“Shut up! I’m really irritated right now. I have more work because of you too.” Miori, having become instantly tipsy, began rattling off complaints one after another. “That guy doesn’ have any intention of workin’ at all!”
On her third glass, Miori’s face was red, and she was slurring.
“Man, you’re a lightweight...”
“No I’m not! I’m nah drunk!”
It’s always the lightweights who insist they’re not drunk.
“In the first place, Natsuki, you...”
She started complaining about things I had done in the past. Then, we began chatting about the old days. She laughed at me when I told her how my high school debut had failed.
As we talked, I learned about how Miori was hated by the girls’ basketball team. I learned about how that had led to her developing the yips for passing the ball, and how she had ultimately failed to overcome it. And...I learned how she had dated Shiratori for a brief period. Then I learned that Shiratori got mixed up with a bad crowd, and they had broken up.
“You know... I probably loved you,” Miori murmured. Her face wasn’t red any longer; she had started drinking oolong tea after her third glass of beer.
“Really? I probably loved you too.”
We were both so irresolute in our wording that it made us share a smile.
I can’t alter the past, but I can face the future. Although it won’t erase my regrets, I can take action so I won’t have any more new ones.
“Why don’t we date? Just a trial to start.”
I peered into Miori’s eyes. No matter how hard I looked, she seemed to mean it seriously.
“And then, if we haven’t broken up by the time we’re thirty...let’s get married,” she suggested.
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Th-That was a fast reply.” Miori’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Because I knew as soon as we saw each other again.”
“Knew what?”
“That I love you,” I said plainly.
A warm smile spread across Miori’s face. “Same here.”
At the age of twenty-eight, I got my first girlfriend. She was someone I had thought I would never meet again—my first love and childhood friend.